Release #27 - April 2022

In 2021, Fuel Moto was a top ten BAKER dealer based on the following criteria; sales volume, customer support, and (most important) systemic knowledge. When it comes to performance upgrades, very few shops have the systemic knowledge necessary to properly integrate any engine performance upgrade with the rest of the motorcycle. Simply put, FUEL MOTO HAS KNOWLEDGE.

 

Fuel Moto is a family-run business that opened in 2004. In 2019, they moved to their new 20,000 sq. ft. facility in Appleton, Wisconsin. Their shop specializes in EFI tuning, exhaust systems, and a wide range of performance components. They are also a full R&D facility offering custom in-house performance installs and dyno tuning. They offer only the highest quality parts at the best prices, but more importantly, they provide their customers with unmatched product knowledge and technical support on all of the products they sell, offering industry-leading service to their customers.

This is the ORIGINAL 6-speed design that revolutionized the American V-Twin industry and it’s still the best overdrive 6-speed built to this day…hands down. Our OD6 is built to comfortably handle the power from today's big-inch motors. This transmission is rated for engines putting out up to 165ft/lbs of continuous use. It is available as a complete transmission or as a builder’s kit for your stock case application. Fits 1991-2005 Dyna, 1990-2006 FLT-FLH & Softail, and 1990-1994 & 1999 FXR.

If you do a search on Tim Grindle, it will be difficult to find much information on him. He likes it that way. In his mid-fifties he fell off a turnip truck in 2007 and decided to start drag racing motorcycles. By any measure, he was not a seasoned motorcycle racer. He started on a dual sport Dyna (no wheelie bar) and competed in the ET class to learn the basics of quarter mile competition. He rose up through the ranks into the outlaw street class seven years ago when Bert met him. Two years ago, he ran a 7.95 @170 mph in his late 60s. Words cannot accurately describe how fast a high 7 is on a bike with no wheelie bar. As compared to a 11-second pass, the intensity of a high 7 is something most people will only experience in a video game.

The outlaw street bike, shown in the image above, is a GMS cooperative effort of Tim and Gregg at GMS Racing. It features a 143” Sportster motor built with S&S pro stock cases. This year, displacement gets increased to 172” with a turbo. Tim clearly has what it takes to be an accomplished drag racer. That is, he is methodical and ritualistic in everything that is required to get up to the starting line because repeatability (and tenacity) is the key to going fast.

There is never any drama associated with Tim at the races. In life, he sets his sights on an achievement and masters the motha fucka. He is a triple black diamond snow skier and a hard-working businessman. He is not a loud boisterous personality that pontificates how big his peepee is. Rather, he is soft spoken and lets his actions speak for him. However, when he does speak, you would do yourself well to shut up and listen. He knows stuff. He and his lovely wife, Andrea, reside in Uniontown, PA. She unconditionally supports him and unconditionally thinks he’s nuts. If you ever get the chance to say hi to him, ask him to tell the story of rescuing the BAKER show truck from the Pennsylvania state cops.

Established in 1998, BAKER Drivetrain started as BAKER Engineering. As BAKER Drivetrain was gaining popularity in the bike scene, Bert met the legend Dave Perewitz at the Camel Roadhouse Tour. For those of you who lived under a rock or were shitting in your diapers at that time, the Camel Roadhouse Tour was one of the most popular bike shows in the 90s and early 2000s. Bert became friends with Dave and asked him if he would paint the 2003 BAKER calendar bike. This bike was one of the first wide tire right-side drive motorcycles on the scene. The beautiful design Dave painted on the tank became the concept for the beginning of the new BAKER Drivetrain logo. 

 

Have you ever thought to yourself, "why does my transmission shift hard?" Hard shifting is when you try to shift into a gear and the gear doesn't engage easily or sometimes doesn't engage the specific gear at all. You may hear the gears grinding together. The first thing we recommend is to assess the health of your clutch. Click below to check out the first of a two-part series to get started.